GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 25TH JUNE 2017
TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
FIRST READING: Jeremiah 20:10-13
PSALM: Psalm 69:8-10, 14, 17, 33-35
SECOND READING: Romans 5:12-15
GOSPEL: Matthew 10:26-33
THEME: DO NOT BE AFRAID
Persecutions are like the waves of the sea – they come and go. Sometimes they hit so hard at a sailing ship to destabilise it and cause a wreck. However, if the Lord is the captain of your ship, though the storm may come, you can afford to smile amidst the dangers you see and hear because you know that come what may, you would certainly arrive at your destination.
The prophet Jeremiah appeared on the scene during the final days of the Kingdom of Judah, prior to the Babylonian exile. The prophet was sent to a nation that had turned her back to the Lord in many ways and were taking decisions that were inimical to their very existence and wellbeing. He was sent to bring them the truth that would set them free but sadly, they paid him back with insult, public disgrace and imprisonment.
Jeremiah is often referred to as the weeping prophet. The First Reading captures a portion of his lamentation. In it he narrates how his own friends had turned into enemies and were seeking to find fault with him so that they could pounce on him. The tone of lamentation, however, suddenly changes to a renewed confidence in the Lord: “But the LORD is with me like a mighty champion; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten” (Jer. 20:12). In the face of the trials that were buffeting him from all sides, his conviction in the strength of the Lord to protect him deepened.
Jesus also tells his disciples not to be afraid of the trials that would come their way on account of their union with him: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul…Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore…”(Matt. 10:28-31).
Just like Jeremiah, there are moments in life when detractors and persecutors may pose a threat to us. These are people (sometimes, family members, colleagues at work, church members and “friends”) who nurse the desire to see us fall, and when we refuse to fall by ourselves, they set traps to trip us.
Hundreds of wild cats cannot snatch a little mouse in the hands of the Lord. In the hands of the Lord, no evil can destroy us. In fact the mud that our enemies throw at us are the very materials that the Lord uses to make a stairway for us to our divine destination. In our quest to follow the Lord, we cannot avoid persecutors. No matter your good intentions and the best of decisions you would make in life, you would often come face to face with opposition. However, when you are doing what the Lord sent you to do, fear not for the Lord himself will vindicate you at the right time.
PRAYER: Eternal Father, you are are my strength and salvation. In you I put my trust in the face of persecution. Come quickly and deliver me for the sake of Christ your Son. Amen.
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).